Vibration output apparatus and portable electronic device comprising vibration output apparatus

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an apparatus for outputting vibration, and an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may provide an apparatus for outputting vibration, the apparatus including: a magnetic circuit which generates vibration; a yoke which is in contact with an upper surface of the magnetic circuit and has a raised spot with different heights in a height direction in at least one of lateral surfaces of the yoke such that one or more spaces are formed in an upper surface of the yoke; and an elastic body which is in contact with at least a part of the upper surface of the yoke, and vibratorily moves in the one or more spaces.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an apparatus for outputting vibration, and more particularly, to an apparatus for outputting vibration by using a bone conduction technology, and a portable electronic device including the apparatus for outputting vibration.

BACKGROUND ART

Recently, products using a bone conduction technology, which is mounted in a mobile phone to be widely known, have emerged in succession. Various electronic devices, for example, an application product including a speaker or a hearing aid, using the bone conduction technology, have been commercialized. Temuco Japan, which holds the basic patent related to the bone conduction plans to release a product, such as a speaker and a microphone, which is usable even in a vacuum state and without regard to a usage place, such as underwater, and adopts the bone conduction technology.

In general, vibration of air beats eardrums and the vibration is transmitted to the cochlea, so that a sound is recognized. On the contrary, the bone conduction directly transmits vibration from a bone to the cochlea. Such a principle enables a person to hear the sound even though the person covers the ears. Accordingly, even though the eardrum has a problem, when the cochlea and the auditory nerve are normal, a person may hear the sound through the bone conduction.

The bone conduction technology itself has been established before, but it is difficult to miniaturize a product adopting the bone conduction technology for commercialization. The reason is that an output by the bone conduction is in proportion to a size of the product. Accordingly, Temuco Japan has invested greatly in developing a bone conduction speaker, in which the number of components is decreased and of which an internal structure is changed. Further, Temuco Japan also has conducted a research on a bone conduction speaker for voice communication, which applies the bone conduction technology.

In general, a sound or vibration output apparatus is an apparatus, such as a speaker, a receiver, a buzzer, a vibration motor (vibrator), outputting a sound or vibration force, which converts an electrical signal input from a signal source into a mechanical signal to output a sound or generate vibration force, and a bone conduction output apparatus also corresponds thereto.

The sound or vibration output apparatus is applied to considerably various fields according to a size and a usage. Particularly, in response to the growth of the information and communication industry, as a small sound or vibration output apparatus, particularly, a small vibration motor, which is widely used for a vibration call of a communication terminal, an application of a linear motion vibration motor, which has a function exceeding a function of an existing rotary vibration motor, is sharply increased according to popularity of a touch screen terminal including a smart phone.

The reason why the linear motion vibration motor is widely applied to a portable IT device, such as a touch phone including a smart phone and a general mobile phone, is a high response speed, small noise, and a greatly improved product life, compared to those of the rotary vibration motor. The response speed means a time taken until vibration force reaches 50% of vibration force in a maximum displacement, which is the biggest reason for the adoption of the linear motion vibration motor.

Recently, a touch screen terminal is evolved to a smart phone and is used by downloading various applications, and the applications perform various functions and demand feedback vibrations in accordance with the functions, and in order to satisfy the demand, there is a demand for a vibration motor having a higher response speed, that is, a higher reaction speed, than that of the linear motion vibration motor in the related art, in the technical field.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

An object of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is to provide a vibration output apparatus, which increases exciting force of an elastic body and is capable of directly transmitting vibration to the body and skin.

An object of another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is to provide a vibration output apparatus, which is capable of increasing a bone conduction rate by transmitting vibration without loss.

An object of still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is to provide a vibration output apparatus, which is capable of preventing a bone conduction rate from being decreased and preventing a distortion phenomenon due to vibration reduction by directly transmitting vibration to the body and skin.

Technical Solution

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for outputting vibration, the apparatus including: a magnetic circuit which generates vibration; a yoke which is in contact with an upper surface of the magnetic circuit and has a raised spot with different heights in a height direction in at least one of lateral surfaces such that one or more spaces are formed in an upper surface of the yoke; and an elastic body which is in contact with at least a part of the upper surface of the yoke, and vibratorily moves in the one or more spaces.

The apparatus may further include a frame, which has a bottom part, and a first height part and a second height part provided in both lateral surfaces of the bottom part, and a coil receiving an alternating current signal provided from the outside on an upper surface of the bottom part, in which the magnetic circuit may vibrate according to a change in a magnetic field provided by the coil.

The elastic body may include: a vibrating part, which is in contact with the upper surface of the yoke and vibrates according to vibration of the magnetic circuit; and a fixed part which is in contact with at least one of the first height part and the second height part and provides a reference point so as to allow the vibration part to vibrate.

The elastic body may include the plurality of elastic bodies, and the elastic body which is in contact with the first height part may be physically separated from the elastic body which is in contact with the second height part.

At least a part of the space, which is formed by a contact of the yoke and the elastic body, may be exposed to the outside.

The apparatus may further include a vibration plate which is in contact with the upper surface of the yoke, in which the vibration plate outputs the vibration to the outside according to vibration of the yoke.

The vibration may be a vertical vibration.

Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a portable electronic device including an apparatus for outputting vibration, the apparatus including: a magnetic circuit which generates vibration; a yoke which is in contact with an upper surface of the magnetic circuit, has a raised spot with different heights in a height direction in in at least one of lateral surfaces, and is formed with one or more spaces on an upper surface; and an elastic body which is in contact with at least a part of the upper surface of the yoke, and vibratorily moves in the one or more spaces.

Still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for outputting vibration, the apparatus including: a magnetic circuit which generates vibration; a yoke which is in contact with an upper surface of the magnetic circuit; and an elastic body which is in contact with at least a part of an upper surface of the yoke, in which at least one of the lengths of corners of the space formed in the upper surface of the yoke is smaller than a length of a corner of a lower surface of the yoke so that a space, in which at least a part of the elastic body vertically vibrates, is formed.

At least a part of the space may be formed to be exposed to the outside, and a height of the space may be increased from one cross-section of the space in an outward direction.

The length of the corner of the lower surface of the yoke may be the length of the largest corner among the lengths of the corners of the lower surface of the yoke.

Yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for outputting vibration, the apparatus including: a magnetic circuit which generates vibration; an elastic body which vibratorily moves based on the vibration of the magnetic circuit; a yoke which is positioned to be in contact between the magnetic circuit and the elastic body and of which a surface area of one of an upper surface and a lower surface is the largest surface area; and a vibration plate which is in contact with the upper surface of the yoke, and outputs the vibration to the outside according to vibration of the yoke.

The lower surface of the elastic body may be in contact with a part of the upper surface of the yoke.

An opened recess, of which at least a part is exposed to the outside, may be formed in the upper surface of the yoke so that a surface area of the upper surface of the yoke is larger than a surface area of the lower surface of the yoke.

Still yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a portable electronic device, including: an apparatus for outputting vibration, the apparatus including: a magnetic circuit which generates vibration; an elastic body which vibratorily moves based on the vibration of the magnetic circuit; a yoke which is positioned to be in contact between the magnetic circuit and the elastic body and of which a surface area of one of an upper surface and a lower surface is the largest s face area; and a vibration plate which is in contact with the upper surface of the yoke, and outputs vibration to the outside according to vibration of the yoke.

A further exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for outputting vibration, the apparatus including: a magnetic circuit which generates vibration; a yoke which is in contact with an upper surface of the magnetic circuit, and transmits the vibration; an elastic body which is in contact with at least a part of an upper surface of the yoke; and a vibration plate which is in contact with at least a part of the upper surface of the yoke, in which the vibration of the magnetic circuit is transmitted to the yoke, is transmitted to the vibration plate, and then is output to the outside.

Another further exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a portable electronic device, including: an apparatus for outputting vibration, the apparatus including: a magnetic circuit which generates vibration; a yoke which is in contact with an upper surface of the magnetic circuit, and transmits the vibration; an elastic body which is in contact with at least a part of an upper surface of the yoke; and a vibration plate which is in contact with at least a part of the upper surface of the yoke, in which the vibration of the magnetic circuit is transmitted to the yoke, is transmitted to the vibration plate, and then is output to the outside.

Advantageous Effects

The apparatus for outputting vibration according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may increase excitation force of the elastic body, and directly transmit vibration to the body and skin.

The apparatus for outputting vibration according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention improve a bone conduction rate by transmitting vibration without a loss.

The apparatus for outputting vibration according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention may prevent a bone conduction rate from being decreased and prevent a distortion phenomenon due to vibration reduction by directly transmitting vibration to the body and skin.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the mentioned effects, and the other non-mentioned effects may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art on the basis of the description below.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Various aspects are described with reference to the drawings, and herein, like reference numerals are generally used to designate like constituent elements. In the exemplary embodiment below, for the purpose of description, a plurality of specific and detailed matters are suggested in order to provide general understanding one or more aspects. However, it is apparent that the aspect(s) may be carried out without the specific and detailed matters. In other examples, publicly-known structures and devices are illustrated in a form of a block diagram for easy description.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross-section of a vibration output apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view illustrating a yoke according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2B and 2C are diagrams illustrating the yoke according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention viewed from one side, FIG. 2D is a diagram illustrating the yoke according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention viewed from a top side.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a yoke according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an elastic body according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an elastic body which is in contact with an upper surface of the yoke according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where the elastic body vibrates in a predetermined space according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a frame according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a vibration output apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an exploded view illustrating the vibration output apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams illustrating a state where the vibration output apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is mounted in a portable electronic device.

BEST MODE

The aforementioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be clearer through the following detailed description associated with the accompanying drawings. A specific structure and functional descriptions below are simply exemplified for the purpose of describing exemplary embodiments according to a concept of the present invention, and the exemplary embodiments according to the concept of the present invention may be implemented in various forms, and it shall not be interpreted that the exemplary embodiments according to the concept of the present invention are not limited to the exemplary embodiments described in the present specification or application.

The exemplary embodiment according to the concept of the present invention may be variously modified and have various forms, so that specific exemplary embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the present specification or application. However it should be understood that exemplary embodiments according to the concept of the present invention are not limited to a specific disclosure form, and include all changes, equivalents, or alternatives which are included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

Terms “first”, “second”, and the like may be used for describing various constituent elements, but the constituent elements should not be limited to the terms. The terms will be clearer through the following exemplary embodiments related to the accompanying drawings. A specific structure and functional descriptions below are simply exemplified for the purpose of describing exemplary ernbodirnents according to a concept of the present invention, and the exemplary embodiments according to the concept of the present invention may be implemented in various forms, and it shall not be interpreted that the exemplary embodiments according to the concept of the present invention are not limited to the exemplary embodiments described in the present specification or application.

The exemplary embodiment according to the concept of the present invention may be variously modified and have various forms, so that specific exemplary embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the present specification or application. However it should be understood that exemplary embodiments according to the concept of the present invention are not limited to a specific disclosure form, and include all changes, equivalents, or alternatives which are included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

Terms “first”, “second”, and the like may be used for describing various constituent elements, but the constituent elements should not be limited to the terms. Only for the purpose of discriminating one constituent element from another constituent element, for example, without departing from the scope according to the concept of the present invention, a first constituent element may be named as a second constituent element, and similarly a second constituent element may be named as a first constituent element.

It should be understood that when one constituent element is referred to as being “coupled to” or “connected to” another constituent element, one constituent element can be directly coupled to or connected to the other constituent element, but intervening elements may also be present. By contrast, when one constituent element is referred to as being “directly coupled to” “directly connected to” or “being in contact with” another constituent element, it should be understood that there is no intervening element present. Other expressions for explaining relationships among constituent elements, that is, “between . . . ” and “just between . . . ” or “adjacent to . . . ” and “directly adjacent to . . . ”, shall be interpreted in a similar manner.

Terms used in the present specification are used only to describe specific exemplary embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be understood that term “include” or “have” described in the present specification indicates that a feature, a number, a step, an operation, a component, a part or the combination thereof, but does not exclude a possibility of presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof, in advance.

All terms used herein including technical or scientific terms have the same meanings as meanings which are generally understood by those skilled in the art unless they are differently defined. Terms which are defined in a generally used dictionary should be interpreted to have the same meaning as the meaning in the context of the related art, but are not interpreted as an ideally or excessively formal meaning if it is not clearly defined in this specification.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross-section of a vibration output apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a vibration output apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a magnetic circuit 100, a yoke 200, and an elastic body 300.

The magnetic circuit 100 may generate vibration. The magnetic circuit 100 may include a magnet 110 and a top plate 120. Herein, the magnet 110 may be formed of a material having magnetic force, and may vibrate according to a change in a peripheral magnetic field. Further, the top plate 120 may concentrate the magnetic force of the magnet 110. The magnetic circuit 100 may be provided at a predetermined interval with a coil 130. When an alternating current signal is applied to the coil 130, the magnet 110 may vibrate according to a direction, intensity, and a size of frequency of the alternating current signal applied to the coil 130. That is, the magnet 110 may serve as a vibrator vibrating according to the alternating current signal applied to the coil 130. This results from Fleming's left hand law, in which a conductor positioned within a magnetic field receives force in a predetermined direction, and a theory related to the principle is the publicly known technology, so that a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the related art, a vibration motor using a brush and a commutator is frequently used, but has a problem in excessive noise and miniaturization, so that the vibration output apparatus 10 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include the coil 130 and the magnetic circuit 100 for generating vibration. The vibration generated by the magnetic circuit 100 may be directly transmitted to the yoke 200 which is in contact with an upper surface of the magnetic circuit 100.

The yoke 200 may be provided to be in contact with the upper surface of the magnetic circuit 100. Herein, the contact of the yoke 200 to the magnetic circuit 100 means that a separate vibration transmitting body is not provided between the yoke 200 and the magnetic circuit 100 and the yoke 200 and the magnetic circuit 100 are provided so that the vibration generated by the magnetic circuit 100 is directly transmitted to the yoke 200. That is, the vibration generated by the magnetic circuit 100 may be directly transmitted to the yoke 200 by sequentially stacking the yoke 200 on the upper surface of the magnetic circuit 100 or integrally manufacturing the magnetic circuit 100 and the yoke 200 at the time of the manufacturing.

In this case, the yoke 200 may be provided with a predetermined space 210 so as to enable the elastic body 300 to vibrate. To describe in more detail, the yoke 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be generally implemented in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and may have a structure, in which one side surface in the rectangular parallelepiped shape of the yoke 200 is formed with a raised spot 220 with different heights in a height direction, so that one or more spaces 210 are formed in an upper surface of the yoke 200.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view illustrating the yoke according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 29 and 2C are diagrams illustrating the yoke according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention viewed from one side, FIG. 2D is a diagram illustrating the yoke according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention viewed from a top side.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the magnetic circuit 100 may be in contact with a lower surface of the yoke 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Further, a vibration plate 400 and the elastic body 300 may be in contact with the upper surface of the yoke 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, the predetermined spaces 210 may be formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention so that the elastic body 300 may vibrate. Herein, the number of predetermined spaces 210 may be two or more. In the exemplary embodiment, when the two physically separated elastic bodies 300 are used, two or more spaces 210 may be formed so that the two elastic bodies 300 may vibrate. The space 210, in which the elastic body 300 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may vibrate, may be formed by performing a cutting process on the upper surface of the yoke 200. For example, when the yoke 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention has the rectangular parallelepiped shape, the predetermined space 210 may be formed by cutting a part of the upper surface of the rectangular parallelepiped shaped yoke 200. By the predetermined space 210 formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200, the yoke 200 may be formed with different heights when viewed from one side. This will be described in detail below.

Referring to FIG. 2B, when a part of the upper surface of the yoke 200 is cutting processed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and the yoke 200 is viewed from one side, different heights H1 and H2 may be observed. Further, the yoke 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be provided with the raised spot 220 formed by a difference between the heights H1 and H2 at a portion, in which the yoke 200 provided with the height H1 meets the yoke 200 provided with the height H2. Here, a portion, in which the raised spot 220 is formed, may be variously set according to a setting of a user, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to a special position, in which the raised spot 220 is formed. In FIG. 2B, the heights of the yoke 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention are described as H1 and H2 as an example, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific heights of the yoke 200, and the yoke 200 having various heights may be implemented according to a setting of a user. Further, H1 means the entire height of the yoke 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, so that a height of the space 210, which is formed by the cutting process, may be H1-H2, and as long as the height H1-H2 of the space 210 is not 0, the height may be included in the scope of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2C, a bottom surface 230 of the space 210, which is formed by performing the cutting process on the yoke 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, may also have a predetermined inclination. In the above, the height of the raised spot 220 is set to H1-H2, but when the predetermined inclination is formed in the bottom surface 230 of the space 210, which is formed by performing the cutting process on the yoke 200, based on a horizontal surface, the height of the raised spot 220 may be smaller than H1-H2. The space 210 formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be utilized as the space 210, in which the elastic body 300 may vibrate, which will be described below in detail, so that a height of the space 210 may be increased in an outward direction of the space 210. Herein, the inclination of the bottom surface 230 of the space 210 formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200 may be variously implemented according to a setting of a user. For example, when a vibration width of the elastic body 300 is large, the space 210, which provides a region in which the elastic body 300 may vibrate, may be large, so that the yoke 200 may be implemented to have a large difference between H1 and H2. In consideration of a loss of a material in the cutting process and the like, the yoke 200 may be cutting processed so that the height of the space 210 is increased in the outward direction of the space 210 formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200.

As illustrated in FIG. 2D, when the yoke 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is viewed from the top side, the space 210 formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200 may be divided into a virtual first lateral surface 211 and a virtual second lateral surface 212, and may be opened and exposed to the outside. Further, the space 210 formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200 may be divided into a third lateral surface 213 and a fourth lateral surface 214, and the third lateral surface 213 and the fourth lateral surface 214 may be a part of an internal surface of the yoke 200. In FIG. 2D, it is illustrated that the virtual second lateral surface 212 is exposed to the outside, but in another exemplary embodiment, a surface, which is exposed to the outside, of the space 210 formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200 may be minimized. That is, the virtual second lateral surface is implemented as the internal surface of the space 210 formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200, so that only the virtual first lateral surface 211 may also be exposed to the outside.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the vibration output apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include the elastic body 300 which is in contact with the upper surface of the yoke 200. The elastic body 300 may be in contact with at least a part of the upper surface of the yoke 200. That is, since the space 210, in which the elastic body 300 may vibrate, is formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a part of the elastic body 300 may be in contact with the upper surface of the yoke 200 except for the portion, in which the space 210 is formed. The number of elastic bodies according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be two or more. When the magnetic circuit 100 vibrates according to an alternating current signal applied to the coil 130, the vibration is directly transmitted to the yoke 200 which is in contact with the magnetic circuit 100, and the vibration transmitted to the yoke 200 is transmitted up to the elastic body 300 which is in contact with the upper surface of the yoke 200. In this case, the elastic body 300 may be divided into a vibrating part 310, which simultaneously vibrates with the vibration of the yoke 200, and a fixed part 320, which provides a reference point, at which the vibrating part 310 may vibrate.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a yoke according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, a vibration output apparatus 10 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a magnetic circuit 100 which generates vibration, a yoke 200 which is in contact with an upper surface of the magnetic circuit 100, and an elastic body 300 which is in contact with at least a part of an upper surface of the yoke 200, and herein, at least one of the lengths of the corners of a space 210 formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200 may be smaller than a length of a corner of a lower surface of the yoke 200 so that the space 210, in which at least a part of the elastic body 300 vertically vibrate, is formed.

For example, when it is assumed that L1 is the length of the corner of the lower surface of the yoke 200, and L2, L3, L4, and L5 are the lengths of the corners of the upper surface of the yoke 200, the space 210, in which the elastic body 300 may vibrate, needs to be formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200, so that the lengths L2, L3, L4, and L5 of the corners of the upper surface of the yoke 200 need to be smaller than the length L1 of the corner of the lower surface of the yoke 200 by the formed space 210. That is, even though the lengths of the corners of the upper surface are L2 and L3, the parts of the corners may be the parts L2 and L3 of the corners of the space 210, in which the elastic body 300 may vibrate, so that the lengths L2, L3, L4, and L5 of the corners of the upper surface of the yoke 200 need to be smaller than the length L1 of the corner of the lower surface of the yoke 200. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the lengths of the corners of the upper surface of the yoke 200 are indicated with L2. L3, L4, and L5, but any one of L2, L3, L4, and L5 cannot be larger than L1.

Further, at least a part of the space 210, in which the elastic body 300 vibrates, may be formed to be exposed to the outside, and a height of the space 210 may be increased from one cross-section of the space 210 formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200 in the outward direction. As described above, when an inclination is given to a bottom surface 230 of the space 210 formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200, a vibration width of the elastic body 300 may be further increased, and an intensive vibration may be transmitted to a user and the like.

In another aspect, a vibration output apparatus 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a magnetic circuit 100 which generates vibration, an elastic body 300 which vibratorily moves based on the vibration of the magnetic circuit 100, a yoke 200 which is positioned to be in contact between the magnetic circuit 100 and the elastic body 300 and of which a surface area of one of an upper surface and a lower surface is the largest surface area, and a vibration plate 400 which is in contact with the upper surface of the yoke 200, and outputs vibration to the outside according to the vibration of the yoke 200. That is, when a space 210, in which the elastic body 300 may vibrate, is formed in one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the yoke 200, the surface areas of the upper surface and the lower surface of the yoke 200 are inevitably different from each other, and the elastic body 300 may vibratorily move on the surface having a larger surface area between the upper surface and the lower surface of the yoke 200. Further, when the surface area of the upper surface of the yoke 200 is larger than the surface area of the lower surface of the yoke 200, the predetermined space 210 may be formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200. For example, the predetermined space 210 may also be an opened recess, of which at least a part is exposed to the outside. Here, the opened recess exposed to the outside excludes the enclosed space 210, and means an opened recess, of which three internal surfaces (a front surface, a right surface, and a bottom surface) may be observed when viewed from the outside.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the elastic body according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the elastic body 300 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include the vibrating part 310 and the fixed part 320.

The vibrating part 310 may be in contact the upper surface of the yoke 200 and vibrate according to vibration of the magnetic circuit 100. A lower surface of the vibrating part 310 of the elastic body 300 is in contact with the upper surface of the yoke 200 and the lower surface of the yoke 200 is in contact with the upper surface of the magnetic circuit 100, so that the vibration generated by the magnetic circuit 100 may be directly transmitted up to the elastic body 300 through the yoke 200. For example, when the magnetic circuit 100 vibratorily moves in an upper direction, the yoke 200 and the elastic body 300 also vibratorily move in the upper direction, and the vibrating part 310 of the elastic body 300 also vibratorily moves in the upper direction. The fixed part 320 of the elastic body 300 receives stress in a down direction by elasticity of the elastic body 300, and the vibrating part 310 of the elastic body 300 may vibratorily move in the down direction. The magnetic circuit 100 and the yoke 200 may vibratorily move in the vertical direction while the aforementioned process is repeated.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the elastic body which is in contact with the upper surface of the yoke according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, the vibration output apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include the elastic body 300 which is in contact with the upper surface of the yoke 200. The elastic body 300 may be in contact with at least a part of the upper surface of the yoke 200.

That is, the space 210, in which the elastic body 300 may vibrate, is formed in the upper surface of the yoke 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, so that a part of the elastic body 300 may be in contact with the upper surface of the yoke 200 except for the portion, in which the space 210 is formed. The number of elastic bodies according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be two or more. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the two physically separated elastic bodies 310 and 320 may be in contact with parts of the two different upper surfaces of the yoke 200. FIG. 5 illustrates the two physically separated elastic bodies, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific number of the elastic bodies or the specific form of the elastic body, and the elastic body having various forms may be used. For example, the elastic body may have a form of a leaf spring, and the form of the leaf spring may also have a polygonal shape.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the state where the elastic body vibrates in a predetermined space according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6A, when the magnetic circuit 100 moves in the upper direction, the yoke 200, which is in contact with the upper surface of the magnetic circuit 100, also moves in the upper direction and the vibrating part 310 of the elastic body 300 also moves in the same direction. In this case, the fixed part 320 of the elastic body 300 does not move, so that the elastic body 300 may be bent by elasticity. In order for the elastic body 300 to be bent, it is necessary to provide the space 210, in which the elastic body 300 is bendable, so that the space 210, in which the elastic body 300 may vibratorily move, may be provided in the upper surface of the yoke 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6B, when the magnetic circuit 100 moves in the lower direction, the yoke 200, which is in contact with the upper surface of the magnetic circuit 100, also moves in the lower direction and the vibrating part 310 of the elastic body 300 also moves in the same direction. In this case, the fixed part 320 of the elastic body 300 does not move, so that the elastic body 300 may be bent by elasticity. Unlike FIG. 5A, the space 210, in which the elastic body 300 is bendable, is not required.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates the degree of bending of the elastic body 300, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to a specific elastic modulus of the elastic body 300 or a specific angle, in which the elastic body 300 is bent. However, in order to increase intensity of the vibration, it is necessary to increase widths of the vibrations of the yoke 200 and the elastic body 300 and secure the large space 210, in which the elastic body 300 vibrates, so that the space 210 having various volumes may be provided in the upper surface of the yoke 200 according to performance of the vibration output apparatus 10.

In order for the elastic body 300 according to the exemplar embodiment of the present invention to vibratorily move in the vertical direction, it is necessary to provide a fixed reference point so that the vibrating part 310 of the elastic body 300 may vibrate. Accordingly, the elastic body 300 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include the fixed part 320. The fixed part 320 of the elastic body 300 may be coupled to a portion which does not vibrate.

FIG. 7 is a perspective illustrating a frame 500 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the frame 500 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a bottom part 510, a first height part 520, and a second height part 530.

The coil 130 may be provided on an upper surface of the bottom part 510. Further, the first height part 520 and the second height part 530 may be provided on both lateral surfaces of the bottom part 510. The bottom part 510 may be provided to be parallel to the horizontal surface. The first height part 520 and the second height part 530 may be provided on both lateral surfaces of the bottom part 510 to provide a reference point so that the elastic body 300 may vibratorily move. In the exemplary embodiment, the fixed part 320 of the elastic body 300 may be provided so as to be in contact with the first height part 520 of the frame 500, and the vibrating part 310 of the elastic body 300 may be provided so as to be in contact with a part of the upper surface of the yoke 200. The vibrating part 310 of the elastic body 300 may vibratorily move in the vertical direction based on the fixed part 320 of the elastic body 300 by the vibration motion of the yoke 200.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the number of elastic bodies 300 may be two or more. That is, the plurality of elastic bodies 300 may be in contact with the upper surface of the yoke 200. When the plurality of elastic bodies 300 is used, the elastic body 300, which is in contact with the first height part 520, may be physically separated from the elastic body 300, which is in contact with the second height part 530. In FIG. 1, the two physically separated elastic bodies 300 are described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and one leaf spring may also be used as the elastic body 300 and two or more leaf springs may also be used. Further, if the elastic body 300 is formed of a material providing elasticity, the elastic body 300 is sufficient, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the elastic body 300 having a specific form or formed of a specific material.

The vibration output apparatus 10 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include the vibration plate 400 which is in contact with the upper surface of the yoke 200. The vibration plate 400 may output vibration to the outside according to the vibration of the yoke 200. A user and the like may receive a vibration signal or a voice signal by making the vibration plate 400 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention be in contact with a part of the body. Since the vibration generated in the magnetic circuit 100 is directly transmitted to the user and the like through the yoke 200 and the vibration plate 400, it is possible to relieve a problem in which the vibration signal is distorted or weakened.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the vibration output apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is an exploded view illustrating the vibration output apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the vibration output apparatus 10 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate 810. The PCB substrate 810 may be a means which is capable of supporting the vibration output apparatus 10. A cap 820 may be provided on an upper surface of the PCB substrate 810. The cap 820 may connect the frame 500 and the PCB substrate 810 to fix the frame 500 and the PCB substrate 810. As described above, the frame 500 may include the bottom part 510, and the first height part 520 and the second height part 530 provided on both lateral surfaces of the bottom part 510. The coil 130 may be provided on the bottom part 510 of the frame 500. The coil 130 may provide a change in a magnetic field according to an alternating current signal applied from the outside. The magnetic circuit 100 may be provided at a predetermined interval with the coil 130 without being in contact with the coil 130. The top plate 120, which is capable of concentrating magnetic force of the magnetic circuit 100, may be provided on the lower surface of the magnetic circuit 100. The yoke 200 may be provided in the upper surface of the magnetic circuit 100, and the vibration of the magnetic circuit 100 may be transmitted to the yoke 200. The vibrating part 310 of the elastic body 300 may be in contact with a part of the upper surface of the yoke 200, and the fixed part 320 of the elastic body 300 may be in contact with the first height part 520 and the second height part 530 of the frame 500. The vibration plate 400 may be provided in the upper surface of the yoke 200 to transmit the vibration of the magnetic circuit 100 to the user and the like. Further, a through hole 840, to which a rivet 830 may be connected, may be formed at centers of the yoke 200 and the vibration plate 400. The aforementioned respective constituent elements may be coupled by the rivet 830 and a yoke pole 850 to form the vibration output apparatus 10.

An exemplary embodiment according to the present invention may provide a portable electronic device, including a vibration output apparatus 10, the vibration output apparatus 10 including: a magnetic circuit 100 which generates vibration, a yoke 200 which is in contact with an upper surface of the magnetic circuit 100 and has a raised spot 220 with different heights in a height direction in at least one of lateral surfaces of the yoke 200 such that one or more spaces 210 are formed in on an upper surface of the yoke 200, and an elastic body 300, which is in contact with at least a part of the upper surface of the yoke 200, and vibratorily moves in the one or more spaces 210. Herein, the portable electronic device may include an electronic device and the like, which require a transmission of a voice signal or a vibration signal. For example, the portable electronic device may be any one of various electronic devices, such as a portable terminal, a mobile terminal, a telematics terminal, a notebook computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a Wibro terminal, an Internet protocol television (IPTV) terminal, an audio video navigation (AVN) terminal, a portable multimedia player, and a navigation terminal (a vehicle navigation device). Further, the portable electronic device may include Google glasses by Google Inc.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams illustrating a state where the vibration output apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is mounted in a portable electronic device.

Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the vibration output apparatus 10 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be mounted into a portable electronic device 1000. Herein, the portable electronic device 1000 may include Google glasses 1000 by Google Inc. The Google glasses 1000 may include a camera 1010, which is capable of photographing an external image, and a visual overlay 1020, which is capable of providing a user and the like with an image. Further, the Google glasses 1000 may include a communication module 1030, which is capable of exchanging data with an external communication network, and a calculation processing device 1040, such as a CPU, which is capable of calculating received data. Further, the Google glasses 1000 may include a chargeable battery unit 1050, which is capable of supplying energy, and a support means 1060, which assist the user and the like to wear the Google glasses 1000 like glasses. Further, the Google glasses 1000 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a vibration output apparatus 10 including a magnetic circuit 100, a yoke 200, and an elastic body 300. For example, the vibration output apparatus 10 may be installed in a portion, in which the Google glasses 1000 are in contact with a bone conduction region of the user and the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the user and the like may wear the Google glasses 1000 and receive a voice signal and a sound signal, such as music, as a vibration signal through the vibration output apparatus 10 provided in the Google glasses 1000.

The present invention has been described with reference to the exemplary embodiments, but those skilled in the art may understand that the present invention may be variously modified and changed within the scope without departing from the spirit and the area of the present invention described in the accompanying claims.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

From the foregoing, relevant contents have been described in the best mode for carrying out the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention may be used in various electronic devices using a bone conduction technology. 

1. An apparatus for outputting vibration, the apparatus comprising: a magnetic circuit having an upper surface, the magnetic circuit generating vibration; a yoke having an upper surface, the yoke being in contact with the upper surface of the magnetic circuit and having raised spots with different heights, the raised spots being in a height direction in at least one lateral surface of the yoke such that one or more spaces are formed in the upper surface of the yoke; and an elastic body being in contact with at least a part of the upper surface of the yoke and vibratorily moving in the one or more spaces of the yoke.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a frame, which includes a bottom, a first height and a second height provided on lateral surfaces of the bottom of the frame, and a coil that receives an alternating current signal provided from the outside on an upper surface of the bottom of the frame, wherein the magnetic circuit vibrates according to a change in a magnetic field provided by the coil.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the elastic body includes: a vibrating mechanism being in contact with the upper surface of the yoke and vibrates according to the vibration of the magnetic circuit; and a fixed region being in contact with at least one of the first height and the second height of the frame and provides a reference point to allow the vibrating mechanism to vibrate.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising: a plurality of elastic bodies, at least one elastic body of the plurality of elastic bodies, which is in contact with the first height of the frame, being physically separated from another elastic body of the plurality of elastic bodies, which is in contact with the second height of the frame.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least a part of the one or more spaces of the yoke is formed by contact of the yoke and the elastic body and is exposed to the outside.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a vibration plate being in contact with the upper surface of the yoke, wherein the vibration plate outputs the vibration to the outside of the yoke.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vibration is in the vertical direction.
 8. (canceled)
 9. An apparatus for outputting vibration; the apparatus comprising: a magnetic circuit having an upper surface, the magnetic circuit generating vibration; a yoke having an upper surface and a lower surface, the yoke being in contact with the upper surface of the magnetic circuit; and an elastic body being in contact with at least a part of an upper surface of the yoke, wherein at least one of lengths of corners of the upper surface of the yoke is smaller than a length of a corner of the lower surface of the yoke so that a space, in which at least a part of the elastic body vertically vibrates, is formed.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least a part of the space is formed to be exposed to the outside, and a height of the space is increased from one cross-section of the space in an outward direction.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the length of the corner of the lower surface of the yoke is the length of the largest corner among lengths of corners of the lower surface of the yoke.
 12. An apparatus for outputting vibration, the apparatus comprising: a magnetic circuit that generates vibration; an elastic body that vibratorily moves based on the vibration of the magnetic circuit; a yoke having an upper surface and a lower surface, the yoke being positioned to be in contact between the magnetic circuit and the elastic body, a surface area of one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the yoke being the largest surface area of the apparatus; and a vibration plate being in contact with the upper surface of the yoke and outputting the vibration to the outside of the yoke.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the elastic body has a lower surface that is in contact with a part of the upper surface of the yoke.
 14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein an opened recess, of which at least a part is exposed to the outside, is formed in the upper surface of the yoke so that a surface area of the upper surface of the yoke is larger than a surface area of the lower surface of the yoke.
 15. (canceled)
 16. An apparatus for outputting vibration, the apparatus comprising: a magnetic circuit having an upper surface, the magnetic circuit generating vibration; a yoke having an upper surface, the yoke being in contact with the upper surface of the magnetic circuit and transmitting the vibration; an elastic body being in contact with at least a part of the upper surface of the yoke; and a vibration plate being in contact with the at least a part of the upper surface of the yoke, wherein the vibration of the magnetic circuit is transmitted to the yoke, which is transmitted to the vibration plate, which is then outputted to the outside.
 17. (canceled) 